Shoe fjxleb



Patented Sept. l, 1925.

UNITE-D STATES roHN JOSEPH DALY, or NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

SHO'E FILLER.

Application filed November 23, 1922. Serial N'o. 602,849.

fo r/U w 710m. it nid-y conocia? ABe it known that I. JOHN JDALY, a. citizen of the United States, residing. at Newton, county of. Middlesex, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe Fillers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention "relates to fillers for shoes and-particularly to a filler for the inseam space beneath the inner sole of a shoe.

Various materials andmethods of filling this space have ,been devised, each having points of advantage and disadvantage. In my present invention I avoid some of the difiiculties and produce an improved ultimate structure Without adding to the expense of thev materials or cost of. making the shoe. As illustrative of my invention I have herein shown and will particularly describe a novel material and method of filling characteristic of my invention and very Well adapted. to practical shoemaking. 'Throughf outnspeciiication and drawings, like reference characters are `employed to indicate corresponding parts, and in the drawings: 1

Fig. l is a view of a portion of a shoe ready for filling. t

Fig. 2 a diagrammatic illustration indicating the filler piece being out.

Fig. 3 a transverse section through the area l and with the blank shown in Fig. 2 applied, and

Fig. 4 a similar view showing the said blank pressed down and in place.

In practicing my invention I. prepare a filling material by making a mixture ofsuch filling material as ground up rags, paper or other inexpensive stock. The material should. preferably be a light material and in a comminuted state and if it should be of a fibrous character the main body of it should be reduced to short iibre length.

. lVith this I mix fibrous material .such as hair', lint or other animal or vegetable fibres which impart to the mixture a slight bodyA strength so that it can be formed into a sheet but only distributed through a larger mass of material of much shorter fibre such as ground up paper or rag stock which constitutes the body of the filling and which is in a substantially free state so tliatit. will respond readily to pressure -and makethe mass easily conformable to irregularities in the space to be filled.

This mixture I impregiiate with a fusible binding material such as powdered gum or asphalt in such proportion as would upo'n itsfffusiiig make the material moderately sti i From such material formed in sheets as indicated at l, I cut blanks 2 of a size to fit the space A defined-by the inseam B of the shoe. The blanks 2 as indicated in Fig. 3

are cut so as to have rather a free fit within the inseam B. They are first heated to fusethe gum or asphalt or to bring it to an adherent state, aft'er which the operative places the blank Within the space A while hot and irons it under pressure so that it will be pressed firmly against the inner sole @and laterally spread vinto the margins of the inseam and at the same time levelled to fill any inequalities that may exist along the lower surface of the inner sole.

Upon cooling the filling 2 hardens into a lirm but sufficiently pliant state to give adequate support to the inner sole and to completely `lill and seal the space beneath it.A The filling moreover is not affected by the warmthof the foot nor by any ordinary external heat usually encountered by footwear. The filling is inexpensive in itself and economical to handle and shoes so made are more resistant to wearand free from tendency to develop depressions or rolls or bunches.

Various materials-may be employed -to constitute the body of the filling and the impregnating material `and the material may be embodied in a shoe in ways other than herein described all Without departing from the spirit of my invention.`

lVhat I therefore claim and desire to se cure by Letters Patent is:

l. lThe method of filling the sole space of a shoeconsisting in forming a sheet of comininuted fibrous material having therein in ,an unfused state a fusible material, said filling material being compressible and selfconforming when said material is fused, in cutting from said sheet a blank of substantially the size of the sole cavity, in heating the blank and inserting it in the cavity and in compressing the blank in place while hot to cause it to spreadand fill the'entire sole space.

2; The method of filling the sole spaceof a shoe consisting in forming a sheet of comminuted material including a small amount of long fibre and having therein in an unfused state a fusible material, said filling material being compressible and self conforming When'said material is fused, in cut ting from said sheet a blank of substantially the size of the lsole cavity, in heating the blank and inserting it in the cavity and in compressing the blank in place While hot to cause it to spread Vand ill the entire sole space..

3. yThe' method of filling the sole cavity of ashoe consisting in inserting into/such space a blank 'of' compressible absorbent -comminuted fibrous material impregnated with a-fusible material'in an unfused state which is normally stiff but is adapted to be softened by heat, and inl compressing the blank in place While hot to cause it to spread and ill the entire cavity. l

4. The method of illing the sole cavity of ashoe which consists in inserting into such space a ller consisting of compressible l'ibrous material in comminuted forni and in substantially a free state so as to readily conform to irregularities in the space to be filled upon application of pressure thereto and impregna-ted with a fusible binding material of asphaltic or resinous origin which is normally stiff but is adapted to be softened by heat, and in compressing the blank in place While hot to cause it to spread and ll the entire sole cavity;

In testimony whereof I alix mysigna- 30 t'ure'.

' JOHN JOSEPH DALY. 

